Blackjack Basics: Objective of the Game

Part of blackjack basics is to understand the objective of the game. You may have heard somewhere that this game's objective is to get a hand that has a value as close to a total of 21 as much as possible. That may seem logical given the fact that the highest value for a hand you can get in this card game is a total of 21. However, in order to truly grasp the objective of the game one must understand blackjack basics.

Unfortunately, as soon as you get a few brushes with the blackjack basics and some practice games you will finally realize that the real objective of the game is not to get a perfect 21 every single hand you get. The fact is that the goal in blackjack is simply to get a hand that is better than the one that the dealer has.

The valuation of the cards is part of blackjack basics. You can get an initial hand that has a total of 21 if the dealer deals you an Ace and a ten-value card. Ten-value cards in blackjack are Queens, Kings, Jacks, and number 10 cards. Depending on what will benefit your hand more, an Ace will either be valued with 11 points or one point. You get to add the values of both your initial hands and then make your decisions in the next phase of the game.

The next part of blackjack basics is about the different decisions players make. This will add further light to understanding the objective of the game. Given the value you initially get, you then have to make your decisions. If your total isn't that good, then you take another card. This move in blackjack is called 'hit'. If you feel that your hand value is good enough then you stick with it - a.k.a. stand.

Take note that if your hand valuation goes beyond a total of 21 your hand loses. In the game of blackjack, this event is known as bust. You only bust after hitting and not when you get your initial two cards.

Other player options are splitting two identical cards and then get two new cards to pair up with them thus doubling your bet and your chances of winning, or losing if things don't go very well. Another option is to double down, which is basically hitting one last time and then doubling your bet.

Now this is where the objective of the game comes into question. It will be a big risk to always try to get a perfect hand if your hand is already good enough. So if your hand's valuation is enough to beat the dealer's total then the only option left is to stand. There is just no sense in the added risk in trying to get a total of 21 for every hand you get.

The objective of the game of blackjack is to get a higher valuation of your hand than that for the dealer's hand. Understanding the objective of the game requires understanding blackjack basics.